By M.T. Burkhart
ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern added another locomotive to its heritage fleet, this time honoring the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway. The locomotive was painted at Altoona, Pa.’s Juniata Shops and unveiled to the public on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the neighboring Railroaders Memorial Museum.
The locomotive selected for the dark blue, yellow, and black scheme was number 4851, an AC44C6M graduate of Norfolk Southern’s C40-9W rebuild program. It was expected to enter service shortly after the event.
Back in October, Norfolk Southern asked its social media followers to vote for a 21st heritage locomotive. The choices were Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia; Atlantic & East Carolina Railroad; Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway; and Delaware & Hudson. More than 3,400 people weighed in on Facebook alone, with Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia seemingly neck and neck with the D&H in popular choices.
Dating back to the late 1800s, “The Tag Route” ran from Chattanooga, Tenn., through northwest Georgia, and into Alabama, less than 100 miles. The short line was purchased by the Southern Railway in 1971. “Once a vital link between Chattanooga and Gadsen, (Ala.) the TAG Railway played a key role in moving coal, steel and more from 1891 to 1971,” NS said. “Its legacy is now proudly reflected in our fleet.”
The lone diesel survivor is high-hood GP38 80 – also the final diesel purchased by the Tag – and operates at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Named “The John A. Chambliss” in honor of the railroad’s vice president, it became number 2879 under Southern and later Norfolk Southern. In 2017, it was restored to its original number and paint scheme. The NS heritage locomotive that rolled out on Wednesday does not carry a historic name.
As part of its 30th anniversary celebration in 2012, Norfolk Southern painted 20 new locomotives in the color schemes of predecessor railroads. The commemorative units were unveiled at a large event in Spencer, N.C., that summer. Since then, additional special interest locomotives have been painted, but no new heritage locomotives emerged, although a few have been rebuilt and repainted in the ensuing years.
Each paint scheme was modified to fit the modern GE ES44AC and EMD SD70ACe locomotives while staying as true as possible to the original designs, the railroad said at the time.
